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Brief Description
A classroom
composting experiment demonstrates why worms are called "nature's
recyclers."
Objectives
Students will
- predict what
will happen in two (control and experiment) containers --
one with soil and trash, the other with soil, trash, and
worms.
- learn why some
people call worms "nature's recyclers."
- discuss how
worms can help solve environmental problems.
Keywords
Worms,
earthworms, recycle, compost, garbage, trash, biodegradable
Materials Needed
- two
see-through plastic containers of the same size, with lids
(optimum container size might be a foot square and 6 inches
deep); air holes should be punched in sides and lid of container
- earthworms
(See Purchasing Earthworms section
below.)
- garbage
items: chopped carrots work well for this activity, since
their bright color contrasts with the soil; other possible
items include apple pieces or shavings, coffee grounds,
and crushed eggshells.
- student
journals (optional)
Lesson Plan
In this
experiment students observe firsthand how earthworms transform
garbage into compost.
Start
with two see-through plastic containers of the same size;
the containers should have lids. (One large tub, divided in
half with a plastic separator, is an alternative.) Punch small
air holes in the lid of the container and along the sides.
Spread about 2 inches of rich soil in the bottom of the container.
Spread over the top of the soil some common garbage items.
Chopped carrots work well for this activity; if you arrange
some of the garbage so you can see it through the container,
you should be able to observe daily changes. Other items that
might be appropriate include apple pieces or shavings, coffee
grounds, crushed eggshells... Do not use meat or dairy
products because they will smell bad.
Be sure each container contains equal amounts of soil and
garbage items.
Cover
the selected garbage with two inches of soil. Then add earthworms
to one container only (or to one side of a divided
container). For a container this size, a few dozen worms should
suffice. (See Purchasing Earthworms
section below.) The container without the worms is the control
for this experiment. You might ask students to record in their
journals predictions about what will happen to the two containers
over the next couple of weeks.
Notes: Wet the soil to keep it slightly damp. Do not over
water. You do not want water collecting in the bottom of the
container. When not being observed, it is best to keep
the container(s) in a dark place, such as a closet, because
earthworms will shy away from light. Learn more tips for composting
on the Worm
Composting page.
During
the next two weeks, observe and compare changes in the control
and the worm-filled containers. If you cannot see through
the containers, gently dig up the garbage after two weeks.
AFTER
TWO WEEKS…
Discuss
the results of the experiment. What happened to the trash
in the container with the worms in it? in the container without
worms? How did changes in the two containers differ? Why?
(Earthworms "digest" the garbage and soil, producing richer
soil.) How can worms help cut down on trash?
Consider setting up a composting bin at your school. See articles
on that topic in the Related Articles section below.
MORE
EARTHWORM COMPOSTING LESSON PLANS
Following
are additional online lessons that offer ideas you might incorporate
into the above activity:
Worm
Bin Unit
Composting
The
Magic Schoolbus Meets the Rot Squad
Compost
Lesson Plans
FUN EARTHWORM
RESOURCES TO SHARE!
The
Adventures of Herman
Composting
for Kids
Nature's
Recyclers Coloring Book
PURCHASING
EARTHWORMS
For
information about earthworm purchases, contact a local garden
shop or plant nursery, the cooperative extension division
of a nearby university, a local bait and tackle shop, your
city's sanitation department, a local 4-H Club, or another
appropriate organization.
The
worms you want to purchase are known as red worms or
red wigglers.
If you
reach nothing but dead ends in your local community, you can
find worm sources on the Internet. An excellent starting point
might be The
Open Directory Project: Worms.
RELATED
ARTICLES
Composting
in Schools
A terrific resource from Cornell University.
Backyard
Magic: The Composting Handbook
Produced by the New
Brunswick (Canada) Department of the Environment.
Kids
and Composting
Kids and composting were made for each
other. From the San Diego Earth Times (1998).
Project
Roots
A brief report about a school-based composting
program in New York City.
The
Rottin' Truth: Cultivating Compost
KidsGardening.com
has produced this general resource.
Worm
Away Your Cafeteria Food Scraps
From the
North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Composting
and Earth Information Resources on the Web
The Global
Recycling Network's list of links.
Composting
With Red Wiggler Worms
From Canada's Office of Urban
Agriculture.
Composting
With Worms
A resource from the city of Toronto.
Assessment
Ask students to write a paragraph describing what they learned from the experiment. For younger students, you might provide several word prompts that they must include in their paragraphs; for example, worms, compost, and recycle.
Lesson Plan Source
Education World
Submitted By
Gary Hopkins
National Standards
LANGUAGE ARTS: English
GRADES K - 12
NL-ENG.K-12.12 Applying Language Skills
SCIENCE
GRADES K - 4
NS.K-4.1
Science as Inquiry
NS.K-4.3
Life Science
NS.K-4.4
Earth and Space Science
NS.K-4.6
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
GRADES 5 - 8
NS.5-8.1
Science as Inquiry
NS.5-8.3
Life Science
NS.5-8.4
Earth and Space Science
NS.5-8.6
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
GRADES 9 - 12
NS.9-12.1
Science as Inquiry
NS.9-12.3
Life Science
NS.9-12.4
Earth and Space Science
NS.9-12.6
Science in Personal and Social Perspectives
Don't
miss dozens of lesson and project ideas in Education World's
Earth Day
Archive.
Click to return to this week's Lesson Planning article,
Five Lessons Teach Students
to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.
Originally published 04/11/2003
Links last updated 03/28/2008
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